GM Mosquito Release Commences in Grand Cayman

GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman, July 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The Cayman Islands Government has strengthened its efforts to protect residents and visitors from Zika, dengue and chikungunya with the launch of additional mosquito controls today (28 July 2016).

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The public health programme was delayed by two weeks due to legal action by an objector to the initiative. However, a court ruled earlier this week that there were no grounds for the action and lifted the temporary "stay", a legal proceeding to delay the release, which was imposed on 13 July 2016.

"It is important that we are able to get on with the job as there is an urgency from the public health perspective," said Dr. Bill Petrie of the Cayman Islands Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU). "We need to get the project back on track and put in place the preventative measures we have planned to reduce the risk of local transmission of mosquito-borne diseases."

Three cases of imported Zika have recently been confirmed in Grand Cayman, contracted by residents who travelled to countries experiencing an outbreak of the virus.

Known as the "Friendly Aedes aegypti Project", operational roll-out of the pioneering technique using genetically modified mosquitoes began this morning in West Bay. The area is a hotspot for Aedes aegypti, the non-native species of mosquito that transmits Zika, dengue and chikungunya as well as yellow fever.

Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed, and the virus is also linked to other serious medical conditions such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which can lead to total paralysis. Dengue and chikungunya are a serious threat to public health, with young children, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions most at risk.

The operation in West Bay is being carried out by MRCU in collaboration with biotechnology company Oxitec.

"The technique is recommended by the World Health Organization as a tool to fight Zika," said MRCU Director Dr. Bill Petrie. "One of the overarching responsibilities of the Ministry of Health is to protect the health and well-being of residents and visitors to the Cayman Islands. As a government agency, MRCU is tasked with controlling the dangerous Aedes aegypti mosquito population, using the best arsenal at our disposal, to ensure this happens."